Envelope



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. WEAVER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ENVELOPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,875, dated August 31, 1880.

Application filed February 4, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. WEAVER, of Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Sealing Envelopes or Packages, of which the following, in connection with the accompanying drawings,forming a part hereof, is a specification.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective of an envelope or package embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a section in the plane of the line as .20 of Fig. 1, excepting that in the said section the package is presumed to be sealed.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts.

In the drawings, A represents a pouch made of paper, cloth, or other similar material. B is a strip of flexible metal arranged horizontally across one side of the pouch at a point near the mouth thereof, and applied to that part.

The tongue to consists, by preference, of a part made separately from the body of the package and applied thereto by means of mucilage in such a way as to leave the upper part of the tongue free from the corners of the mouth of the package, and the strip B is applied to the free or loose part of the tongue, as indicated in the drawings. If the tongue to consists of a continuation of one of the sides ot' the package, the tongue in that case should extend sufficien tly beyond the mouth of the package to allow the strip B to be arranged considerably above the mouth, for the purpose hereinafter explained, but when the tongue consists of a separate piece or flap having afree or loose upper end containing the strip B the upper end of the tongue or flap need not necessarily extend above the mouth of the package. It is not essential that all of the strip B should be covered and the ends of this strip need not necessarily extend laterally beyond the body of the package.

To fill the package it is only necessary to proceed in the usual manner, and to close and fasten the mouth, the upper end of the package is folded in with the tongue at until the strip B extends across the body of the package, when the ends of the said strip are bent toward each other and down upon the package, so as to keep its mouth closed. To open the package it is only necessary to straighten the strip B and unroll or unfold the parts closing the mouth. This may be repeated many times.

I amaware that flexible metallic strips have heretofore been applied across the upper end of one side of paper bags 5 but in such cases, so far as I am aware, the metallic strips thus applied have not been either free from, or removed away from, the corners of the mouth of the bag. Consequently, in order to open the mouth of the bag without tearing it at its corners, it was necessary to bend the said strip, and to straighten it in closing the mouth. I

do not, therefore, here intend to claim, broadly,

the combination of a flexible metallic strip with the mouth of paper bags; but,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the pouch or bag A, provided with a tongue, at, and aflexible metallic strip, B, applied to the said tongue and arranged away from the corners of the mouth of the bag, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

JAMES H. WEAVER.

Witnesses CHAS. 1-1. WEAVER, J. S. GURTIss. 

